No White Sox Policy

In an unusual policy shift, NASA announced that Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur (seen here with Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev, left) "has decreed a 'no white sox' policy onboard the space station and asked Mission Control for a plan to 'trash or jettison' all of the crew's white socks." (Image credit: NASA TV)

NASA says the move is intended to show the astronauts' "Astros spirit in honor of the Houston baseball team's participation in the World Series." Commander McArthur is reportedly a longtime Houston resident and Astros fan.

However, armchair space policy analysts debated whether the newly announced sock policy in fact covered for an unexpected "wardrobe malfunction" suffered by the crew during last night's game. Meanwhile, NASA declined to respond to charges that recent cost trimming resulted in a shortage of footwear aboard the space station.